CitationPartners’ Citation Excel tip-to-tail refurbishment program has delivered its first Excel Eagle to Blaine, Minnesota-based North Central Aviation (NCA), the company announced late yesterday. With the refurbishment support of Wichita-based MRO/FBO Yingling Aviation, the aircraft was delivered on June 25.

It is one of six Excel Eagles scheduled for delivery this year, all of which are under contract, according to CitationPartners. “The exceptional quality of the Eagle—combined with its airframe, engine, and APU support programs—has exceeded our expectations,” said NCA operations director Greg Krantz. “The process from day one was just like acquiring a totally new aircraft.”

Announced in late February, the Excel Eagle program transforms a preowned example of one of Textron Aviation’s most popular Cessna Citation airframes into a fully inspected twinjet with new parts, interior, paint, and Garmin G5000 avionics.

“This is light years beyond your typical, garden-variety refurb,” said CitationPartners principal and Cessna chairman emeritus Russ Meyer, Jr. “It is a true nose-to-tail transformation of the aircraft.”

CitationPartners’ other principals include former Cessna CEO Gary Hay and former Citation Mustang and CJ3 program manager Russ Meyer III. The company said it expects to soon announce phase two of the Excel Eagle program along with planned deliveries for 2022.